1463 Cat Mouse Rat.

Fun fact: In an early draft of the original scripts Reggie was going to have been dating Jess for a while before Ed ever found out. There was a pretty complete outline of how things would go, but I decided it was too much like a sitcom plot, and maybe too obvious. Then I toyed with the idea of her being infatuated with Carol, which only remains as a an echo in her overall sexuality. Then I put her in a situation with Jo and it was like “Oh, these two are going to fall in love…” which sent ripples all across the rest of the plot. It opened things up in a way that felt right and made sense as far as the overall plan is concerned. I hope you guys enjoy her continuing antics.

Anyway, the teen has called me in for “TV time” so I have to go. Later taters.

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Well I am actually pretty glad that got rewritten then. Reggie and Jess would have been a weird pairing with only one way out but Jess and Jo are grade A shipping material. Like this is what packing peanuts wish they could be

See now, kiddies? That’s how you’re supposed to write! Thank you @Jackie for your insight into how a great writer approaches his craft.

Sometimes when I’m writing, if there are no external distractions (conversation, TV/radio, dogs barking et cetera), I’ll lapse into a sort of a fugue state. When I eventually come up for air, I’ll find I’ve written a passage of the story for which I have no recollection or prior plot. In a science fantasy novel, two characters stepped away from the main scene for a conversation that saved me a ton of explanatory writing later. In a screenplay, two other characters had an exchange that set the tone for the whole movie:

Edwin: You might have told me you’ve been dead for the past twenty years!Michael: Well, it never came up in conversation, did it? “Oh, speaking of engineering drawings, Edwin, I’m dead.”

Probably not a mind-blowing thought, but: after seeing Reggie in action, + seeing that he’s obviously [very smart, + well educated], It’s really surprising, sometimes, to see how clueless he can be, in social situations.